Monthly Archives: December 2018

I still remember the first time I heard the name of the island of Bali, Indonesia. At that time I was still studying design and styling in Barcelona. One of my companions left everything to go behind love, and her destination was Bali.

I would never have imagined that, many years later, I would do the same journey.

My trip to Indonesia was one of those things that you do not expect in life but you feel the strong impulse to carry it out. Without organization, without a guide, without time to plan, I bought the ticket and got on the plane.

To look for flight, it is clear that there are infinite possibilities where to get a flight; each one has its own strategies to get the cheapest flights. I usually look for Skyscaner, and compare with the websites of the companies. I leave this link in case you need more information on how to get cheap flights:

As I already told you, for this trip I did not have any organization since in Bali I was with a friend, who I accompanied for two weeks. But it is always good to have an idea of ​​which cities or towns to visit. For that you have wide information online.

It is also true that once there you meet people and you join them modifying your route, or you are so well in a place that you prefer to extend your stay there. But it is necessary to know what you are going to do during the days that your trip lasts, for many changes that you then make in situ.

To plan your trip through Indonesia you have to keep in mind that it is an archipelago of thousands of islands. So, transportation between islands will be ship or plane. And I assure you that the times of the boat trips are long. And flights, depending on which destinations, there are only two flights per week, and can be cancelled due to bad weather. Therefore, however, it is better to know an island well, than just visit four.

HOTELS

On my arrival in Bali, I stayed in the same hotel as my friend. A hotel of an Indonesian family, the few remaining in Kuta, authentic, cheap and frequented by surfers. Let’s make reservation made in this same hotel, for our return from Alor Island. And I before leaving with the motorcycle to know the island of Bali, I will also leave the reservation for my last days before catching the flight back. The good thing is that you can leave a backpack for a small fee and they keep you. So you should not charge it during your route on the island.

There are many hotels in Bali, specifically in Kuta and surroundings. You must inform yourself of the towns where you will find more hotel offer.

Regarding the hotels on the islands, it will depend a lot on whether the island is tourist or not. For example, on the Figi Islands, there is a big hotel offer, however if it is on the island of Alor, there are only two hotels on the island.(when I’m was there)

TRANSPORT

The most practical, fast and expensive … The plane, especially at the destination is another island. The other option is the boat. What you should take into account are the routes to be made and the time that is delayed to be sure that you arrive in time to catch your flight back.

To move around the islands, it is best to rent a motorbike and discover the island at your own pace.

If you plan to drive in another country, keep in mind that you will need an international driver’s license. You can get it for a small fee at the head office where you must renew your ID.

GUIDE

I believe it is imperative for any trip in which more than one city is visited to take your guide, whether purchased or made by yourself. It’s good that the guide has information of all kinds relevant to your trip.

I have travelled with and without a guide, and evidently without information you are more lost.

LUGGAGE

The luggage you use will always depend on the type of trip you take. I personally to travel through Indonesia I recommend Backpack on shoulders.

The weather in Indonesia accompanies wearing little clothes, even when it rains it is not cold. What is essential is a good raincoat. I recommend that the raincoat is a coat, so covers your backpack.

Another important part is to take a little kit, what you need, something for vomiting, diarrhoea, and dehydration and above all good repellent mosquitoes.

In a matter of personal hygiene you can easily buy there.

It does not hurt to bring a mosquito net (although I do not use it throughout the trip).

3- WHAT TO SEE IN:

Island of Alor

Island of Bali

4-TIPS

Try to be among the first to disembark, otherwise the queues for the On Arrival visa can be eternal.

Eye with the dogs, which are thrown at you. When I went with the motorcycle, I had to avoid them.

A good raincoat is essential; I recommend that it be a layer so that you can also cover your backpack.

Buy the shampoo at any supermarket in Bali. Did you notice the shiny black hair that women have in Bali? I bought a shampoo with an extract of a flower, it was black. It’s a wonder for my hair. I advise you to take some boats as a souvenir, once at home you will appreciate it!

Do not forget to buy tea, Indonesia tea is great.

It is always good to buy a bottle of Arak (hot rice water), so at home you can prepare your own Arak Madu.

The island of Alor, or Pulau Alor in Indonesian, is part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Pulau Alor is the largest island of the archipelago of Alor, has about 2800km2 approx.

Alor is of volcanic origin and has a very rugged terrain. Kalabahi is the only city on the island of Alor. With a population of approximately 60,000 inhabitants, three quarters are Protestants, the rest are Muslims or some Roman Catholic villages. The animistic rites and traditions are still much practiced.

More than 15 different indigenous languages ​​are spoken in Alor, most of them classified as papuan.

To get to Alor by plane from Bali, Surabaya or Jakarta you will have to stop at the Kupang Airport (KOE). That is, flights stop at Kupang to change planes. You must be aware that, although the airport is small, at the last moment you can change the boarding gate.

Alor Island is an earthly paradise, apart from time and the capitalist society. It’s a place of peace and nature. Not suitable for tourists, since they would be bored. Here there are no shops, No variety of restaurants, only two hotels in the whole island (when I was there only were two hotels).

Palua Alor is a wild Eden for scuba divers and snorkel lovers. With just dive into its beaches you get an underwater world very rich in life. The two existing hotels on the island have their offer focused on diving. They have their own boats and rental equipment to dive.

I recommend the hotel La petite Keppa, in alor kecil, located on the small island of keppa. To get from the airport you can take or share a taxi (jeeps) that will drop you off at Alor Kecil. There you have to warn, since you have to cross with a small canoe to the island of Keppa.

It’s Run by a French couple with their two daughters, charming and great hosts. They make you feel at home. It is the best hotel I have been to in every way. They have respect for the environment. The cabins are great, and their breakfasts and meals delicious!

You can hire with them to dive or just rent equipment for snorkelling. The hotel has a couple of beaches on the small island of Keppa. Literally, solitary beaches, crystal clear waters in turquoise tones and white sand.

The best way to get to know the island is to rent a motorbike. You will not find a motorcycle rental business, but if you ask, there is always a local person willing to rent yours for a small fee per day. Yes, attentive where you get. Most of the roads are in poor condition due to heavy and routine rains. It’s especially if you go into the island to the existing villages between the mountains.

It is impressive how you can change the environment from one beach to another; there are white sand or black stones. Some extensive, others small and wrapped with palm trees.

You also have the public transport that Kalabahi has. It consists of two lines, blue and red. One of them makes a route through the city. The other takes you to the area of ​​Alor Kecil. They are a kind of mini vans, with many colours and music at full volume.

In Kalabahi you will find the market, a cashier, the occasional grocery store, pharmacy, a kind of supermarket and a restaurant (I remember seeing a couple of them).

There is a town on the island that you can visit. They continue to live like their ancestors. They show you the typical cabins where they live. How they collect water from the rain. They even have a shop with little things made by them. I bought them a bracelet made from a fork! They are people of great heart. They even invited us to have a coffee!

It is a preparation that combines betel leaf with areca nut widely used in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. It is chewed for its stimulant and psychoactive effects. After chewing it spits or is swallowed. It has many variations. Some South Asian preparations include katha pasta or mukhwas to freshen the breath.

Chewing the mix of areca nut and betel leaf is a tradition, custom or ritual that goes back thousands of years from India to the Pacific.

Betel is a tree that is cultivated in the same way as grapes; Betel has no fruit and is grown only for the sake of its leaves.

To take the betel leaves, put them in your mouth and chew them. A little chalk on them (the dried lime paste (chunnam) is commonly added to join the leaves), and chews them along with the betel. “

The habit to chew betel nuts, known as “buai pekpek” in Papua New Guinea, is often considered an eyesore. Because of this, many places have banned selling and chewing “buai”.

In urban areas, paan chewing is generally considered a nuisance because some chewers spit paan in public areas: compare the ban with the chewing gum in Singapore and the ban on smoking. It is known that the red spot generated by the combination of ingredients when chewed makes a colourful stain on the floor. This is becoming an unwelcome offense in Indian cities like Mumbai, although it is an integral part of Indian culture.

According to traditional Ayurvedic medicine, chewing the betel leaf is a remedy against bad breath but can lead to oral cancer.

Indonesia

The menginang tradition or betel nut chewing is widespread among Indonesian ethnic groups, especially among Javanese, Balinese and Malay; it goes back more than 3000 years. Records of travellers from China showed that betel and areca had been consumed since the second century BC. C.

In the Malay Archipelago, the chewing of menginang or betel nut has become an activity venerated in the local tradition; Being a ceremonial gesture to honour the guests.

Bali is not only the name of the island but also that of the province that includes the island of Bali, that of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. It has an area of ​​5636 km. Its climate is tropical monsoon, with the rainy season from October to March.

The Indonesian language is the official language, although Balinese is also spoken.

Unlike the rest of Indonesia where the predominant religion is Islam, more than 90% of the Balinese are Hindu, practicing a Hinduism known as Balinese Hinduism that mixes the belief in Hindu gods and doctrines alongside animistic beliefs and worship of Saints Buddhists.

The island is a popular tourist destination and is known, like Java, for its delicate arts. Apart from being a tourist destination, it is a meeting point for wholesalers; Fashion, jewelry, footwear, furniture or decoration from around the world, which they buy on the island to then export to their countries of origin. I assure you that I couldn’t imagine the many shops and factories and businesses that I got to see during my route through Bali.

If you move through Kuta or Denpasar it is like being in any modern city with all kinds of services and activities to entertain yourself. Let’s not forget the stores, for all tastes and pockets. Also are shopping centers, markets, restaurants, nightclubs. There are countless places and things to do. There is also an entertaining nightlife. I recommend you try the Arak Madu, yes, be careful, which enter very well and goes up a lot. It is the local drink Arak, which is very strong rice water. And when we mix the Arak with honey, lemon and water, we have the delicious Arak Madu.

From here you can hire excursions to different points of the island, or to other islands. Or, as I did, rent a motorbike and start your own adventure on the island of Bali.

Further north of Kuta, you can visit the Pura Tanah Lot temple. An incredible place for its beauty and for its history since it represents one of the most famous places in the mythology of Bali. The temple is built on top of a rocky compound located in the middle of the sea. So access on foot is only possible if the tide is low. Formerly the Balinese worshiped the god Tanah Lot, the god of the sea. It’s an essential place to visit in the island. I recommend visiting it at sunrise or sunset.

South of Kuta, we find one of the few wild beaches that remain in this area. If you go when the tide is high, you will find that there is no beach. But if you wait for it to come down, you will have the idyllic corner you expected to find on the island of Bali. Topan Beach is one of the hidden paradises on the island due to its location that is not yet known as a tourist destination. And, be careful with the monkeys, they tried to steal my backpack!

Near Topan Beach we have Pantai Suluban Uluwatu, or Blue point, or Uluwatu beach. This beach is located in the town of Pecatu, about 45 minutes from Kuta, on the road that leads to the Uluwatu temple.

To access the beach you must cross between shops and restaurants which offer fantastic views. It creates a very special atmosphere between music, views and people.

If you continue in the direction of the path under the restaurant, it will take you to the secret cliff and if you go down the stairs, you will finally reach the rocky beach with white sand. It is a fascinating place. Even small natural pools are formed where you can bathe.

It is also the entrance to the sea for surfers who head towards the center to get the best waves.

For safety, unfortunately there are no lifeguards here, so do not do strange things like take a surfboard where you do not even know the terrain.

It is an amazing place to watch the sunsets and surfers in action.

And further away from the area of ​​Kuta and Denpasar, reach Padang Bai, a small village in a bay from which ferries also leave to other islands. It is a much quieter place tan Kuta area. However, it is also a tourist area where you will find a variety of hotels, diving centers, restaurants and wonderful beaches. There is Bias tugel Beach (secret beach) and Blue Lagoon Beach, ideal for swimming or snorkelling. In addition, Blue Lagoon Beach has a restaurant which you must cross through the terrace to get to the beach. I fell in love with this hidden corner so wonderful and special.

Near this beach is the Pura Peyogaan Temple. I admit that I am impressed. Of course one of the things that left me speechless from this temple is its location. It does not surprise me at all that such a place is special and sacred. It is pure beauty that gives off love. The other thing that surprised me was the austerity of the temple. How many other temples should this characteristic apply, austerity!

I was staying in a hotel called Harmony Guest House; I found it after taking a couple of laps around the town and asking before in two more hotels. It’s a quiet place, clean, very attentive and helpful. It’s just the necessary to have a pleasant stay.

Passed Padang Bai is Candidasa, a town with a wide range of hotels as well. It was here that when I stopped with the motorbike to take pictures of some rice fields, a boy approached me. He asked me many things, where I was from, my name, if I liked to take pictures … a man full of curiosity and kindness. He invited me to go to his house to meet his mother. And I neither cut and I said yes. He got on my motorbike and … be careful Anna, slowly Anna … hahahaha said that I run a lot! … What a great truth!

I do not remember well why we turn in one street and start driving and driving and driving…. And it’s suddenly…. It’s a wonder of rice fields distributed by terraces throughout the valley. Green, green and more green … A fairytale!

First we stopped at the older sister’s house and then we went to her parents’ house. An adorable family the house had a very large garden where her sister had built a house with her husband. They live sharing what they have. It’s as a true family. In their looks they give off kindness.

From here I left for Amlapura, as my friend had told me that from there I could start a beautiful path.

This road is very special, it is amazing, wonderful. It runs through the jungle following the coast. It is a very narrow road, fortunately very little crowded. Along this road you will find small towns. There are not many hotels or tourists around here. Only local people. More towards the northern part, you start to see a more tourist area, or you try to be touristy. So you’ll start to see more hotels and restaurants. It is the best place on the island where I have been.

It took a long time to me drive the path, because every moment I stopped to take pictures or talk to a local.

I made a night near here, right next to the temple of Tamantirta Gangaga. You will find a hotel offer for all pockets, restaurants and you will have the temple to take advantage of and visit. You can also from here hire a tour of the rice fields.

My next destination was the Gunung Batur, passing through the Gunung Agung. These are some of the volcanoes on the island of Bali, both active. The Gunung Agung is the highest point of all in the island. The Balinese believe that the Gunung Agung is a replica of Mount Meru, the central axis of the universe. So the most important temple in Bali, Pura Besakih, is on its slopes.

Both mountains are often covered with clouds.

Being close to the Gunung Batur, on the road I found some men who stopped all vehicles with tourists to charge the price of the entrance to the volcano. And just before I could go down to Lake Batur, I found two other men charging the same entrance.

Gunung Batur is located in the center of two concentric boilers northwest of Gunung Agung. And it contains a boiler lake. It is impressive to go down that slope when descending towards the lake. The truth is that this whole area is impressive and I was a little scared by the great degree of mystery that i was breathes in the environment.

There is a wide range of hotels and for all budgets. That always asks if they have light or at what time they have light. When I was in the hotel the first night we were without electricity. They also did not have Internet, perhaps over the years the services have improved. The hotel is called Volcano 3 Bungalows.

My last stop before my return was Ubud. You must not miss this charming town. This is Rich in its crafts and rice fields. It’s a quiet place to stroll through markets, crafts, artists’ shops and rice terraces.